Hope for Distribution of PA Breeder Awards

In a letter to its members, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association reported an encouraging legislative development that could lead to long-delayed breeder awards being paid out in October.

An amendment was unanimously added to a House Bill 2303 that would allow the payments to go forward. The bill is scheduled for a final House vote Oct. 17. The PHBA has talked with the Senate Agricultural Committee about the House bill and the committee agreed to do all it could to expedite it.

"We expect, therefore, that HB 2303 would be approved and on the governor's desk for signing the week of October 24," PHBA president Roger Legg said in the letter to members. "We have also asked the racing commission to input the awards into its system so that they can be quickly transferred to the Treasury Department for distribution once House Bill 2303 becomes law. They have agreed to do as much preparation as possible."

The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission has not paid breeder and stallion awards since early this year because of ambiguous language in a new horseracing reform law.

In the letter, the PHBA said all awards will be paid retroactively, according to the traditional program, from Feb. 23. Non-Pennsylvania-sired horses will again be eligible for all program awards and benefits. As of Jan. 1, 2017, however, the Pennsylvania-sired Breeder Award will increase from 30% to 40%. Further, if at any time the Breeder Fund should receive additional funds over a certain threshold, 50% of that money would be used for races for Pennsylvania-sired horses.